Teen files lawsuit against record industry

A New York teen has filed a lawsuit against the record industry for defamation, violating anti-trust laws, conspiring to defraud the courts and making extortionate threats. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has called this kid a pirate and so the five record companies filed a lawsuit against him. Robert Santangelo would have been 11 when the alleged offense was committed.

He has denied sharing music with P2P file sharing networks and has said it is "impossible" for the RIAA to prove otherwise. He claims in his defense that any music the RIAA alleged that he pirated, he already owned himself on a store-bought retail CD. Robert and his lawyer, Jordan Glass, have demanded a jury trial and filing a counterclaim against the companies for allegedly damaging the boy's reputation, distracting him from school and costing him legal fees.

"The record companies have engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud the courts of the United States," the court documents say. The teen says that the record companies are acting together in violation of the antitrust laws by bringing the piracy cases jointly and using the same agency "to make extortionate threats ... to force defendants to pay."

This is the stuff I like to see! How true it is though. They threaten you to pay or face a lawsuit and thats illegal in American. As far as I know that could be even called blackmail (or something like it).
I wish this kid the best of luck. If anyone finds out a way to donate to him to help pay his legal fees please let me know.

I got a great idea we should all get together pull a bounch of money and find a bunch like a couple of thousand pepole to all sue the RIAA at the same time could you imagine what that would do to them.

...............I got a great idea we should all get together pull a bounch of money and find a bunch like a couple of thousand pepole to all sue the RIAA at the same time could you imagine what that would do to them................
Its called a class action suit and it is very possible for a community like this to fiule one. All you need is a legitimate list of plaintiffs and a lawyer willing to take it to court.

i wish this kid the best of luck... he's definitely going to need it. the RIAA has 2 things on its side: lots and lots of money, and lots of high priced lawyers. but i hope this kid wins, id even be willing to donate to his cause.

More power to you Robert!!!!!!!!!!!
Too bad the main stream media won't report on this.....but then again *hint of sarcasm* I wonder why?
I personally haven't bought a cd (retail) from a store in over ten years, believe it or not! Too much garbage for the price.

RIAA, go get him! Next you can hit all the nursery schools in LA. Another good place is Chuck E Cheese. I hear those birtday parties are havens for 7 yr. old pirates.
You have sunk to a new low, you obsence cockroaches. I hope you all die of cancer!

This is definately an uphill battle the young man is about to fight, but I'm sure we ALL wish him
GOOD LUCK!!!
We all root for the Underdog in this type of fight and he's the epitomy of the Underdog here...a young teen taking on the muli-corporation RIAA...wow!
Good choice going for a JURY trial here too, if they can play upon the sympathies of the jurors they just may pull off the comeback of the decade!

I am not starting a political discussion here but did you notice it was in New York? Mostly democratic New York. A lot of working type people. If his attorney is good and gets the right jury seated....

the RIAA portion of the mafiaa may be fitted for some cement boots of their own! Wouldn't that be artistic justice, so to speak.

I'm sick and tired of big companies raping the little people of this country. It seems that everywhere we look somebody is trying to scheme a way to take our hard earned money. If this kid wins, it will be a small step in taking back our right to freedom in this country.

I agree with flip1221
I too am sick of the RIAAIf they wonder why sales are down, listen to the radio....all the artists SUCK. I have not heard a decent song in years! They sign all these bands that still belong in their parents garage....
Personally I have about 3 or 4 mp3's I do not care for the quality, the only reason I have them is that the song is not available on CD. NOR would I ever waste my money on some DRM protected crap, that I can only play on what some suit says I can play it on.
Wake up America!
We are the consumer, We hold the power in numbers, "We The People"
QUIT BUYING DRM INCLUDING VISTA!

I strongly agree. What happened to the days where the whole album was good. The last whole album i heard that was good was "juvenille 400 degree at the most. Now at days only one good song on the whole album. The RIAA wants us consumers to pay 15 bucks or more for one album which is flip flop with one good song. Then they wonder why we pirate just that one song on a p2p network,ftp's, or news servers. Wake up people. We are the one putting money in their banks. If we all quit buying all these cheap albums maybe the artists will wake up and put something good together. Its bad enough it used to cost seven dollars for a movie now they raised it to eight cause of piracy supposedly. Well maybe if prices were decent like five bucks i'd go to the movies and not pay the homie in the corner the five bucks for the bootleg. I just think the industry is starting to suck. So well the only way to go is pirating things now at days. Not anything is really worth paying for. Games, Movies, or Audio Cds.